Job 1:14

1:14 and a messenger came to Job, saying, “The oxen were plowing ¹  and the donkeys were grazing beside them,

Job 20:22

20:22 In the fullness of his sufficiency, ² 

distress ³  overtakes him.

the full force of misery will come upon him. ⁴ 

Job 20:25

20:25 When he pulls it out ⁵  and it comes out of his back,

the gleaming point ⁶  out of his liver,

terrors come over him.

Job 23:11

23:11 My feet ⁷  have followed ⁸  his steps closely;

I have kept to his way and have not turned aside. ⁹ 

[1:14]  ¹ tn The use of the verb “to be” with the participle gives emphasis to the continuing of the action in the past (GKC 360 §116.r).

[20:22]  ² tn The word שָׂפַק (safaq) occurs only here; it means “sufficiency; wealth; abundance (see D. W. Thomas, “The Text of Jesaia 2:6 and the Word sapaq,” ZAW 75 [1963]: 88-90).

[20:22]  ³ tn Heb “there is straightness for him.” The root צָרַר (tsarar) means “to be narrowed in straits, to be in a bind.” The word here would have the idea of pressure, stress, trouble. One could say he is in a bind.

[20:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “every hand of trouble comes to him.” The pointing of עָמֵל (’amel) indicates it would refer to one who brings trouble; LXX and Latin read an abstract noun עָמָל (’amal, “trouble”) here.

[20:25]  ³ tn The MT has “he draws out [or as a passive, “it is drawn out/forth”] and comes [or goes] out of his back.” For the first verb שָׁלַף (shalaf, “pull, draw”), many commentators follow the LXX and use שֶׁלַח (shelakh, “a spear”). It then reads “and a shaft comes out of his back,” a sword flash comes out of his liver.” But the verse could also be a continuation of the preceding.

[20:25]  ⁴ tn Possibly a reference to lightnings.

[23:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “my foot.”

[23:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “held fast.”

[23:11]  ⁶ tn The last clause, “and I have not turned aside,” functions adverbially in the sentence. The form אָט (’at) is a pausal form of אַתֶּה (’atteh), the Hiphil of נָטָה (natah, “stretch out”).